THROUGH THE BACKBLOCKS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 21, 18 February 1909, Page 4

THROUGH THE BACKBLOCKS.

A UOIiSEPACK TOLTL (I'Toin an Ocwwional t'orrespondeut.) Two Tarar.Kiki ■gentleinen recently Iravellul on ltot-sebitek from I'olitikuia ihroiigii tin- bnckidaeks to the King Couiilrv. T'lie jourueviiig dinrv is: as follow-.-"We left Pohokiira on'the Otli at 7 a.m.. and arrived at Tahora at. 10 a.m. After having a spell for an hour, we bit again [or Tutu, travelling through iln- Tangarakaii Curgc. This W found vi rv interesting, with the river running through and the high dill's ■above. This river'we crossed no less than three umes on low-level bridges. There are'gang, of men working in the Corge. making a good dray road—.ll .fact, there will .-own be a good coach road right through to Mangaroa. They are building a new suspension bridge over flic river. One of the workmen gave me to understand that it is only to lie six feet wide, but 1. think there must :>» -o.nic mistake, for I don't think tin: Owcruiuonl. would build a bridge less than ten feel wide. There appears lo be plenfv of shell rock and rubble for niefitlliiig the road through the 'We arrived at Tntn at 5 o'clock, and stayed there for the night at Mr. Clanger's, who made u» very comfortable. Tin- land 'around here is very good, and the .-fillers say that they !iav. all got coal on their sections. We ,',a-.sed over coal-beds in the gorge, .'titd we, could see it in the banks of the river. Tutu has it vcrv pour school, the ' teacher having to teach seventeen chilI di.-ii in a whare. Next morning at S j. o'clock we left Tll in for Ougariie, passing through Mangaroa about 10 a.m. Here, again, we found: the land very good, and llie township building up very ia-l. A lot of men are employed on .Ihe roads, metalling, etc. After a brief -tuv we. continued on to Toetoe, when! .1 race meeting was being held. Of course, we saw tlic races through, and then -pushed on lo Ongavue, passing through Matierc on the wav. Here the poor land begins, and the further we w. Nt, the worse it got. -being all pumice fwrimitioii. We arrived'at Ongarue at about 7 p.m.. and wuro glad to stay I In- uiglil. for we had travelled about 00 miles in the t'wo davs. We left next morning- on horseback ' for Taiiniaranui, a distn'uii'c of about sixteejt milvs. We reached there at I o'clock, and turned our lnirjH's out, into a paddock, and n-:ti'il. Xcxt morning we walked lo .MauimiiS, 11 distuned of four miles, and ■i id a look through Ellis and Jiiirnand's huge siwniill, olio of 'the. most up-to-d.u'c nr.'iHs in the North Island. By way of ~ eltaii-e we took the train for Wniiini'iiiiii Plains. Wo passed round the groat .-piral, which was, very interesling. It was very cold up there on the plains, iii.ir Hie. mountains. After spending a;n hour out on the plains we re.urn.sd i.v train to Tauniaruuui. •TiiHnumiiiiii is a vcrv nice town. It is growing- vcrv fa-.-t/and everybody seems to he doing a. good trade. They tlir. 'building a new pm'sf olliee. The genera'.' opinion i.- thai it will prove too -mull. A large, boarding-house is being built, close lo the station. We left Tatt--1 miii-nnu.i on the Pith for home, crossing the. Ongarue river at Tauiiiai'uniii and ;:oing lli'i'oiigli bush tracks and roads. Owing to their wretched condition, we had to walk and lead our horses a good war on the junrney. IJut for roadmen j 11-r -hould, have been lost. We got onl nt, Toetoe about i p.m., and continued on lo Tain, arriving there about ti p.m., ] Until the h...rsi.s and num. thorouglilv j ..tired. Staving overnight at Mr. '.!.' .Maggie'- bo'ariling-house'. we .-tarled on Suudav morning, the Pith, for Pohokurn. arriving home about j o'clock. We found tin- trip very interesting indeed, and reeoiuuieiid anyone thai eaa spare the lime, and wants to 5,,,. the baek eoiinlrv to do this short lour of our backhlocks ten-itoi-y."